If you travel to the Council Service Center in Waterbury, you may have noticed some of the erosion along the edge of the entranceway as well as the pooling of water just off Route 2. It has been an ongoing issue caused mainly by the large of amount of snowmelt in the early spring along with some heavy summer downpours of rain. The area in and along what was supposed to be the drainage ditch needed some serious maintenance and upgrade.

Stage one: Enter volunteer Kurt Johnson (have chainsaw will travel), who took a full afternoon on one of the hottest days of the summer to trim out a great deal of the low, overhanging and snarly brush that had amassed over, in and around the drainage ditch over several years. Kurt set the stage for the actual ditch work to begin.

Stage two: Enter Phil Tenney, Scoutmaster of Troop 729 in Northfield, along with wife Kim and son Jonathan. Tenney’s came complete with truck, trailer, tools of all sorts, and the key piece of machinery, a small but very efficient backhoe!

Along with Scout Executive Ed McCollin and District Executive, Josh Hatch, and the Tenney family, this group spent most of Saturday loading and hauling brush, digging a new ditch and adding grass seed and straw. At the end of the day, the ditch work was as complete as it could be with the resources that were available.

If you see Kurt, Josh, or Phil and his family, be sure to give them a big shout out of thanks for a very big and what would have been, a very expensive project, now complete!

This is another example of the volunteer involvement and commitment to the ongoing improvement of the Scouting program and the facilities owned by the Green Mountain Council. It is second to none in America and everyone reading this should be proud and excited about the level of service given by the many leaders and other adults who are part of the Scouting family of Vermont.

On behalf of the entire Executive Board and the Service Center staff who pass by the ditch area every day, thank you! It was “cheerful service” at its finest!

Wow! That was a big problem. There is nothing like the power of the Green Mountain Scouters who volunteer sometimes enlisting help to accomplish whatever job is needed. So much appreciation to all those people,Kurt Johnson, Phil Tenney and family and Josh hatch and Council executive Ed McCollin who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get down and dirty with the rest of the people. I may have moved south but still miss all my Green Mountain Council friends.

Reply

Arlene Matheson

8/1/2017 08:37:32 pm

What a difference looking out from the Council Service Center!! I don't think we have been able to see our neighbors before. It was a Huge job and the hard work is certainly appreciated!!! This was certainly "Cheerful Service" at its best. Thank you to all involved.